The Premier League is ready to announce its new chairman on after a six-month
search for a successor to Sir Dave Richards.

Gary Hoffman, the head of the Football Foundation, was this week thought to have moved into pole position to replace Richards, who has been in the role since 1999 and steps down at the end of the season.

The Premier League board is due to meet this morning to ratify the new chairman’s appointment which, if approved, is expected to be announced later in the day.

An appointments committee of Manchester United chief executive David Gill, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, Stoke chairman Peter Coates and incoming Professional Game Match Officials chairman John Williams was tasked with finding Richards’ successor.

Top headhunters Odgers Berndtson were also appointed to lead the search, with the likes of Sir Keith Mills, Sir Martin Broughton and Allan Leighton linked with the role.

As candidates began to rule themselves out, Hoffman, a former Coventry City vice-chairman, emerged as a leading contender.

He has had close links with the Premier League since he signed a ground-breaking sponsorship deal in 2001, when he was chief executive of Barclaycard.

He went on to become vice-chairman of Barclays – still the Premier League’s lead sponsor – and then rescued the stricken Northern Rock after taking over as chief executive during the credit crunch.

In 2011, he was appointed to the unpaid role of chairman of the Football Foundation, Britain’s largest sports charity that awards millions of pounds in funding to grassroots projects every year. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore is among the Foundation’s trustees. He will hope the new chairman will be more on message than Richards.